


Liquid Courage

by idrilhadhafang



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - After College/University, Alternate Universe - College/University, Drunken Confessions, Drunken Shenanigans, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Minor Armitage Hux/Phasma, Minor Finn/Rey (Star Wars), Mutual Pining, college graduates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-09
Updated: 2020-07-09
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:34:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25159315
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/idrilhadhafang/pseuds/idrilhadhafang
Summary: In which alcohol allows Ben to confess his feelings.
Relationships: Poe Dameron/Ben Solo, Poe Dameron/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Kudos: 4
Collections: The Darkpilot Library





	Liquid Courage

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I own nothing.
> 
> Author’s Notes: Special thanks to veronicabunchwrites for this prompt list: https://veronicabunchwrites.tumblr.com/post/181219836835/over-100-college-writing-prompts-for-your-college

“Ugh...”

Even as Ben stirred, he couldn’t help but notice that the apartment he was in wasn’t his own. At least, that was the first impression he got when he was feeling a knife stabbing through his head. Not a literal knife, but it was the equivalent. 

Poe’s apartment. He had come over there on occasions, just to watch stuff like Space Battles and whatnot. Even as he blinked, he winced at the sound of Weird Al Yankovic playing from the kitchen. One of his older hits. Ben sighed. Who listened to Weird Al in 2021? 

Still, he was very fond of Poe, odd musical tastes and all...

And fuck, that was the problem, wasn’t it? He loved Poe. Ben groaned even as the events of last night decided to come back to him. 

***  
  
“It’s about time we graduated!” Fuck, but Poe’s smile shouldn’t have made Ben’s heart flutter like that. Over to his right, Rey and Finn were chattering, seeming just as excited as anything. 

Ben smiled. Forced a smile, at least. God, Poe was beautiful. So beautiful it was painful. "Yeah. I mean, it’s weird; I thought that math class would be the end of me...”

”But it wasn’t,” Poe said. He beamed at Ben. “Because you were brilliant. So very brilliant.”

Fuck, why did it make him feel so good?

”Well, I buckled down and studied instead of just writing Johnlo stuff. Emphasis on ‘just’.”

”So you have been writing it?” Poe said.

”Does a bear shit in the woods? Obviously.”

They ordered their drinks. Ben supposed that since he was twenty-one now, he ought to at least try some alcohol. 

”So, tell me more,” Poe said lightly. “What various and sundry adventures have our dynamic duo gotten up to?”

Ben snorted. “You make it sound like they’re a superhero team. The adventures of Kylo Ren, ultimate shithead, and John Doe, someone who deserves a medal for putting up with his shit.”

"Nah,” Poe said. “Hell...I think Kylo made mistakes. Some pretty bad ones. But he also did the right thing in the end.”

”Point taken." Ben sighed, took a sip of his beer. “Shit, that stuff tastes like stuff Satan would serve in hell.”

”You think the Devil would serve shitty beer?”

”He’s the Devil,” Ben said. “But anyway...yeah, I’m writing a redemption arc for Kylo. Basically, him deciding to just ditch the Supremacy and go back to the Resistance like a goddamn sensible person. And John, of course.” A sigh. “Well, Hux had to ruin it by saying they’d argue about which podracer’s better...” A beat. “Shit, I don’t even think podracing still exists by the Sequel Trilogy era...”

Poe shrugged. “Who knows?”

Ben, for some reason that could only have to do with the horrible realization that he’d never see Poe again and he’d be too much of a coward to confess...for that reason, he found himself taking another sip that turned into a swig of quite a bit of the beer. 

”Careful, Ben,” Poe said. “You want to be able to make it back to your apartment tonight, right?”

”Oi,” Phasma called over to him, “What does he look like, your little brother?”

”We don’t even look similar, Phas!” Ben slurred. “For starters, he’s prettier than me.”

Silence. 

”Well, this is certainly an interesting turn of events,” Hux said wryly. He was having water. Not that there was anything wrong with that. 

“Ben.” Poe sounded pained. “Don’t say that.”

”No, really,” Ben rambled. “You’ve got the face of an angel...”

”And Dameron also has the brain of a gremlin,” Hux said wryly. 

Ben flipped him off. Hux rolled his eyes, clearly in that I-am-the-only-sane-man-in-this-group-of-dorks way. 

Poe laughed. "Oh, you like me, Armie.”

”You...are otherwise tolerable.”

Ben laughed. “Tolerable? Mark your calendars; in the year of our Lord 2021, Armitage Brendol Hux called Poe Kes Dameron ‘otherwise tolerable’.”

Hux sighed. “Don’t rub it in, Solo.”

Poe smiled at Ben. 

”Just isn’t fair,” Ben said. “I mean, I like you...I mean, really like you, and you’re goin’ away. People keep goin’ away.” Luckily, even Hux seemed to be engaged in a conversation with Phasma, so Ben could tell Poe the truth. Finally. A confession that would go down in history, that would be ranked among the love confessions in movies, fanfic and such that Ben actually liked. “I love you. Like, love you love you. And you don’t know, and I’m bad news, and...and and and — ”

Curse him for falling asleep at the table right there and then. 

***

“Hey.” Even as Ben stood in the kitchen, he shifted from foot to foot, already feeling stupid. Liquid courage might as well be named liquid stupid, really. Even if Poe miraculously accepted the love confession that he’d been meaning to make at prom...

Poe turned off his Spotify. “Hey,” he said. “You okay?”

”Yeah. You brought me here? You could have taken me back to Hux.”

”He gave me his blessing. With the threat of, um, hurting my sensitive bits if I took advantage of the situation...”

”That’s nice of him, but I know you wouldn’t do that. I just do.”

”Ben...about last night...did you mean what you said? You weren’t just drunk, were you?”

”No!” Ben said. Fuck, how could Poe think that? “I love you. I wish everyone knew what I loved about you.”

”Thank fuck...” Poe sounded pained. “I thought...God, I thought that you were just drunk. I never thought that...you’d say that to me.”

”It wasn’t just the drink. Fuck, I’d kiss you, but I taste terrible without a doubt. I definitely feel terrible.”

”I know, babe, I’m sorry.”

Ben smiled. “I could get used to that. You calling me ‘babe’.” Then, “Want to eat shitty greasy food while we watch Space Battles?”

Poe beamed, kissed Ben’s forehead. “Anything with you’s a good idea.”


End file.
